Avidity Biosciences Receives Investment from CureDuchenne

LA JOLLA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avidity Biosciences, a privately held biotech company pioneering a new
class of precision medicines based upon antibody-oligonucleotide
conjugates, announced today that CureDuchenne has made an equity
investment in the company. Funding will help to advance pre-clinical
development of potential therapies to treat patients with Duchenne
muscular dystrophy (DMD).

“We are grateful for an investment from CureDuchenne Ventures to advance
our antibody-oligonucleotide technology for treatment of patients with
Duchenne muscular dystrophy,” said Arthur A. Levin, Ph.D., EVP of
research and development, Avidity Biosciences. “Cure Duchenne has a
history of supporting groundbreaking research in Duchenne, and we look
forward to working with them, as well as their community of patients,
parents, scientists and scientific experts to advance our pipeline of
new therapies for boys with this serious disease.”

The AOC™ technology being advanced by Avidity addresses a key issue of
oligonucleotide therapeutics for Duchenne: namely, delivery of these
powerful therapeutic agents for exon skipping to muscle, diaphragm and
heart. Using antibody-mediated uptake in muscle cells, AOCs increase the
activity of splice skipping oligonucleotides dramatically (a 100-fold
increase in potency in the MDX mouse model), which should allow for
reduced dose levels and reduced dosing frequency. This ground-breaking
science provides a great opportunity to address Duchenne muscular
dystrophy, and other muscle diseases.

“CureDuchenne is excited about the future of Avidity’s science and
committed to supporting exon skipping development to treat the entire
Duchenne population,“ said Debra Miller, founder and CEO, CureDuchenne.
“Currently only 13% of Duchenne patients are served with an approved
treatment for exon 51. Avidity’s programs have the potential to enable
effective therapies to treat a broad set of Duchenne patients. We hope
it won’t be long before every Duchenne patient has a viable therapy.”

Avidity will present its Duchenne specific research during a webinar
hosted by CureDuchenne on November 16, 2018 at 1:00 PT/4:00 ET. To
register for the webinar, please click here: https://bit.ly/2OryjSI.

About Avidity Biosciences

Avidity Biosciences is a privately held biotech company pioneering
Antibody Oligonucleotide Conjugates (AOC™), which combine the tissue
selectivity of monoclonal antibodies and the precision of
oligonucleotide-based therapeutics to overcome barriers to the delivery
of oligonucleotides and target genetic drivers of disease. Avidity is
advancing a pipeline of therapeutic programs focused on rare muscle
disorders and other serious diseases. Avidity has raised $30 million in
venture financing from a top-tier group of sophisticated healthcare
investors. More information about Avidity can be found on the company’s
website at www.aviditybio.com.

About CureDuchenne

CureDuchenne
is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a
cure for Duchenne, the most common and lethal form of muscular
dystrophy. As the leading genetic killer of young boys, Duchenne affects
more than 300,000 boys living today. CureDuchenne has garnered
international attention for its efforts to raise funds and awareness for
Duchenne through venture philanthropy. For more information on how to
help raise awareness and funds needed for research, please visit www.cureduchenne.org.